


Up All Night

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Insomnia, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 10:42:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11621868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: For the record, Keith firmly believed that there was nothing unreasonable about late-night cereal. It just happened that, apparently, Shiro’s definition of ‘late-night’ and ‘unreasonable’ happened to differ from his.Of course, Shiro was a hypocrite and had plenty of late nights of his own. But that was entirely beside the point.





	Up All Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mikiri](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikiri/gifts).



For the record, Keith firmly believed that there was _nothing_ unreasonable about late-night cereal. It just happened that, apparently, Shiro’s definition of ‘late-night’ and ‘unreasonable’ happened to differ from his. Just a little.

            “Keith,” he grumbled from under the blankets. “What am I going to see when I look at the clock?”

            “…Numbers?” he hazarded.

            Shiro pulled down the blanket far enough for his poof of white hair to pop out from his cocoon, exhausted eyes meeting Keith’s. Only a moment later, though, his gaze softened, and he sighed, trying – and failing – to hide his smile. He levered himself up onto his elbows. “Couldn’t sleep?”

            Keith shrugged. He’d stared at the ceiling for a few hours, trying to ignore that the bed below him kept feeling like it was moving, or that he kept waiting to hear the gentle purring of a ship engine surrounding him. “I want cereal.” It hadn’t helped that about halfway through his restless twisting and turning he’d remembered – three years ago tomorrow, or today, or whatever it was, Shiro had left for Kerberos. He could have done without remembering that.

            “ _Cereal,_ huh? Well, mister, I think maybe –“ Shiro finally glanced at the clock and groaned, letting his head smack back down into the pillows. “It’s _four in the morning._ ”

            “It’s not four in the morning in space.”

            “Your logic is sound but I’m still going to hate myself in the morning. Bleh.”

            Keith knew it was gentle teasing, but he checked Shiro’s facial expression just to be sure. Even after all the time they’d spent as Voltron, there’d been too much time apart as well – he could still read Shiro, still understand his body language and expressions -but he couldn’t always be _sure._ But Shiro’s smile was soft and genuine as he sat up, groaning slightly.

            “Okay. So it’s four AM and we’re eating cereal.”

            Keith nodded. “And watching Lilo and Stitch.”

            “That movie’s gotten a lot weirder now that we’ve met real aliens, you know.”

            Keith bit back a snarky response about how he _was_ a real alien. He still didn’t know how to feel about that. It was one thing to be part Galra up in space, surrounded by adventure and battle and the constant change and tumultuousness of life as Voltron. But here, in the shack in the middle of the desert, it felt both more distant and more present, something he’d chosen to ignore and accept raising its head with an insistent silence – _I’m here. What are you going to do about it?_

Shiro slung an arm around Keith’s shoulder. “C’mon. You’re young and sprightly. Help me up.”

            “I’m two years younger than you.”

            “Exactly.”

            Keith huffed, and lifted Shiro from the bed – once he was standing, Keith dropped his arm to loop protectively around the other’s waist. Shiro returned the gesture by lifting his hand to Keith’s head, tangling his fingers in his soft black locks. It was another reminder of time passing – Keith was suddenly aware that his hair had grown past his shoulders – but the brief feeling of displacement gave way to the comfort of Shiro’s fingers against his scalp and brushing over the back of his neck.

            Shiro ended up flopping onto the couch while Keith puttered around the kitchen, trying to decide between cocoa puffs and Honey Nut Cheerios. After a few fruitless moments, he just dumped both of them into the same bowl.

            “You’re joking.” Shiro looked faintly nauseous.

            Keith turned to grab the milk from the fridge, then unscrewed it, tipping it over the bowl with his eyes fixed stubbornly on Shiro.

            “You’re a brat and all that sugar is going to keep you up all night.”

            “I like sugar. Fight me.”

            “I would if it wasn’t four in the morning.”

            Keith just stuck out his tongue. “What do you want?”

            “I’m good with whatever. Just don’t… _Frankenstein_ them like that.”

            Keith rolled his eyes with a huff, and poured Shiro a bowl of Cheerios, setting both bowls on the table before settling down on the couch. “It’s tasty. You’re just stubborn.”

            “And _you’re_ going to end up with no teeth – _ow!_ ” Shiro pouted down at Keith, who was innocently blinking up at him with his mouth latched onto Shiro’s hand. “…You couldn’t have picked the prosthetic.”

            Keith shook his head.

            “Alright, kitty, teeth out of my hand.”

            Keith obediently unlatched his mouth, although he couldn’t quite hide the grin on his face. “You should get one of those warning signs for the door. Beware of Keith.”

            “Somehow I don’t think anybody would believe me.” Shiro flicked his chin, voice deepening into a soft rumble. “You’re _my_ Keith. I’d be heartbroken if you started biting anybody else.”

            Keith leaned into the touch, eyes closing. He didn’t know how to express it, but hearing it… hearing it meant everything. The casually possessive tone of it just made it settle that much deeper into his heart, curling tightly around his insecurities and drowning them out – at least for now. _He wants me. He loves me._ It was a stupid thing to be insecure about, now that they lived together, but sometimes in the middle of the night he found himself reaching over to make sure Shiro was still there.

            “Keith?”

            Keith started, opening his eyes. His mind had wandered. “Y-yeah. Let’s put on the movie.” He picked up his cereal, smirking at Shiro’s horrified groan as he shoveled a pile of puffs into his mouth. But even before Stitch had escaped or Lilo had adopted him from the shelter, his half empty bowl was left abandoned on the arm of the couch, and his head lay on Shiro’s chest. He could still hear the movie playing in the background, but instead, he focused on the sound of Shiro’s breathing, punctuated by a steady, thudding heartbeat against his cheek.

            “I love you,” Keith whispered.

            “I love you too,” Shiro replied, hand moving over Keith’s hair again, then down onto his neck. His fingers massaged into the taut muscles between Keith’s shoulderblades, and Keith whined, arching his back into the touch. “Haha. I can keep going if you want –“

            Keith nodded until he thought his head was going to fall off, then balled his hands into Shiro’s shirt with a soft murmur. He liked being touched – it was easier than words half the time, and _god_ he felt like he was always stiff.

            Shiro moved his hands to the hem of Keith’s loose shirt, then slid them up underneath the fabric, the calluses and pads of his fingers rubbing over the scars that riddled Keith’s back. “How about here?” He pressed the heel of his palm into the small of Keith’s back, rubbing in circles.

            Keith mewled, pressing into the touch and rubbing his face into Shiro’s shirt as Shiro worked at his back. He’d forgotten what had kept him awake in the first place – now he was half-asleep on top of Shiro, draped over the larger man with more soft purrs rumbling from his chest.

            “Okay, come on, sleepyhead. Time for bed.”

            “Mmm _mmm_ want more backrubs…”

            “You can get more tomorrow.”

            Keith caught a little bit more dialogue from the movie – “ _You came back!” “Nobody gets left behind.” –_ but then he was in Shiro’s arms, feeling no heavier than a cloud.

            “Promise you’ll be here when I wake up?” he mumbled. He’d only meant to think it, but it fell out of his mouth anyway. He wondered if Shiro would be mad, that three years after Kerberos he was still so untrusting –

            But Shiro just kissed his forehead with a softness that surprised him, even after all this time. “Of course. I promise.”

            That was good enough for him.

\--

            The next morning came, and Keith opened his eyes, fear immediately settling into his bones as his hands moved over the empty sheets. He was alone in bed –

            He opened his eyes, slowly – and sighed in relief to see Shiro at the far side of the room, puttering away at something or other at the small desk. “…Morning,” he mumbled, gazing at Shiro through half-lidded eyes.

            Shiro started, then glanced back at him with a suspiciously guilty look. “Hey!”

            …Oh, he didn’t trust that at all. Keith sat up, scratching his thigh and eyeing Shiro with a mix of concern and wary curiosity. “What are you doing,” he asked flatly.

            “Oh just…” Shiro got to his feet, rather conspicuously hiding something behind him. Keith wondered if he _knew_ how conspicuous he was being – when it came to Shiro, it was hard to tell whether he was being cutesy, or entirely oblivious.

            Keith glared at him. “ _Spit it out,_ Takashi.”

            Shiro winced. “Okay, you called me Takashi, ouch.” His eyes were sparkling though, and he inclined his head. “You should come outside.” There were shadows under his eyes, and Keith frowned. Had Shiro actually gone to bed last night? He couldn’t remember.

            “What-?”

            Shiro reached out with one hand, tugging Keith out of bed. “Come on.” The other stayed behind his back, and Keith tried to peer around to see what he was hiding – “Hey, no cheating.” Shiro leaned in, and Keith thought it was for a kiss – and instead, he licked Keith’s cheek. “ _Nyeh._ ”

            “Ewww. Gross.”

            “I’m hurt. Come on!”

            Keith stepped outside of the shack – and shielded his eyes against the noonlight sun. Then his eyes adjusted, and his heart skipped a beat. The porch was _covered_ in flowers.

            “I –“ He swallowed, steadying his sudden nerves. Desert lilies – Indian paintbrush – African lily – he recognized each flower in turn. They were _desert_ flowers, not shipped-in bouquets. Which meant that Shiro had picked all of himself.

            “Shiro, did you even _sleep?_ I mean, isn’t this a little bit overkill –“ He turned around, and Shiro was on one knee in front of him. “Oh.”

            Shiro gave him a wry smile. “Before – before I left for Kerberos, there was something I meant to do. I started planning it the moment I got the assignment, and I got everything in place -" He nodded at the flowers. "It's when I first knew I wanted to pick these for you... but then I just..." He glanced down at the boards. "I didn't feel good enough yet."

           Keith knew where this was going, but his heart was beating heavy against his ribs anyway. "Shiro..." _You were always good enough. Always._

           "Right up to the _day_ I left I kept meaning to, and then I didn't. I figured I'd have plenty of time when I came back, so I..." Shiro laughed a little. "I hid it. Under the floorboards. _Here._ "

           Keith's heart stopped. There had been something from Shiro hidden within arm's reach - and he hadn't known. _Why didn't I know?_

           He pulled the small velvet box from behind his back. It was a deep, rich, purple, with silver clasps that winked in the orange light. "I know I left you, Keith. More than once. And I can't - I wish I could promise that nothing would ever happen to me again. But I can..." Shiro's cheeks were flushed now, and Keith was suddenly seized with the realization that for every night he'd spent sleepless worrying if Shiro would leave again, Shiro had been hoping that Keith had _forgiven him._ "I can promise that all I want - more than anything else - is to spend my entire life by your side."

           He opened the box. Instead of a diamond, a ring of bronze shone against the black interior, shaped at the top into a carved rose bud. "Will you marry me?" And the hesitance, the _fear_ in Shiro's voice was almost more than Keith could bear.

           Keith reached forward and closed the box, and before the look of heartbreak could settle onto Shiro's face, he jumped onto him, tackling him to the boards. "Oh!" came the surprised exhalation from Shiro - a moment later, he was silenced by a shower of kisses. Keith kissed his eyebrows, his nose, his cheekbones, his lips -

           "Of course I will, you idiot," he whispered, and the tears started falling despite his best efforts, even through the laughter that bubbled out of his chest. "I - you had to _ask._ "

            "It's - it's considered polite! And..."

            "And you were _worried._ Damn it, Takashi." Keith rubbed his face on Shiro's shirt, and Shiro took his hand, opening the box and sliding the ring onto Keith's ring finger. It was a perfect fit. Keith wondered how much the ring had heard, hidden under the floorboards of his shack - if it had heard all his desperate conspiracies, the punches ringing against the wall in furstration - if it had heard Keith's heart fluttering and pounding when Shiro came home -

             All this time, a piece of Shiro's heart had been so close to him, waiting just as intently as he had for Shiro's return.

             "I love you," Shiro murmured, and his hands were in Keith's hair again, on his back, twisting into his own fingers, holding him so tightly that Keith - this time - really could believe that he'd never let go.

             “…Even though you mix your cereal.”

             “Do you _want_ me to give this back?”

 _Definitely_ never letting go.


End file.
